Beginning teachers' experience of being spurned, coping style, stress preparation, and burnout

The present study aimed primarily to extend a model on rejected helpers' reactions to the experience and reactions of secondary school teachers by examining the effects of being spurned on burnout. Another objective was to examine whether or not a problem -focused coping style would be more effective than an emotion-focused coping style in reducing the negative impact of being spurned on burnout. The third objective was to assess whether or not a preparedness for job stress could prevent the experience of being spurned. Beginning secondary school teachers in Macau responded to a questionnaire addressing the variables of interest at three points in time: before they started teaching, six months into their work, and another six months later. As hypothesized, the more prepared the teachers were, the less spurned they became. Also as hypothesized, being spurned produced burnout, with such effects being reduced more by a problem-focused coping style than by an emotion-focused style. Copyright © 1998 The Chinese University of Hong Kong.